Current EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) robotic systems rely upon a human operator for video-based “joystick” guidance towards suspected IEDs, which are first identified through visual indicators, lightweight metal detectors, trained IED Defeat Dogs, or mechanical means. Drawbacks to this current teleoperated control strategy, which was extensively used on the unmanned systems of WWII, include operator fatigue, mission failure in the event of lost communications, and dangerously impaired battlefield situational awareness on the part of the operator. As a result, the current concept of operations typically requires three Warfighters for a single robot going downrange, when it should be the other way around. The recent shift in military focus from the relatively flat and reasonably structured urban environments of Iraq to the more rugged and remote regions of Afghanistan has only exacerbated the problem.
Some work has already been done by the Unmanned Systems Group at SSC Pacific to add intelligent navigation to the existing EOD Man-Transportable Robotic Systems (MTRS) in order to reduce the driving burden imposed upon the operator. In response to a recent Joint Urgent Operational Need Statement (JUONS), for example, an autonomous “retro-traverse” behavior was developed for NAVEODTECHDIV, which allows the robot to automatically return unassisted to its point of origin when the mission is over, avoiding any obstacles en route. There are two primary limitations to these existing capabilities: 1) the simplified 2-D representation of the robot's environment restricts operation to reasonably level terrain; and 2) any objects detected by the collision-avoidance system are treated as insurmountable obstacles, which over constrains mobility (e.g., the robot gets stopped by tall grass).
The Next-Generation EOD Robot Program managed by NAVEODTECHDIV for PMS-EOD at the Naval Sea Systems Command has selected the Multi-robot Operator Control Unit (MOCU) developed by the Unmanned Systems Group at SSC Pacific as its robotic controller. MOCU was designed from the ground-up to be modular and scalable so it could be used to control both existing and future platforms. The modularity has been extended to the user interface as well, making it possible to create the full gamut of user interfaces ranging from headless to tiled windows to completely immersive game-like displays.
While the MOCU modules are used primarily for interfacing to different protocols (specialized hardware, video decoding and the like), most of the user interface is defined in XML configuration files, making it relatively easy to customize what the display looks like and how the user interacts with the system, whether this be via mouse, keyboard, touchscreen, joystick, or other such input devices. See, for example, the above cross-referenced application entitled “System and Method for Displaying Data from Multiple Devices on a Single User Interface” (Navy Case NC 100,810).
The original purpose of MOCU development was to provide a single control station compatible with multiple EOD robotic platforms, with a common look and feel to expedite training and eliminate the need to procure and logistically support proprietary platform-specific controllers from the various robot manufacturers. MOCU was later expanded by the Unmanned Systems Group to provide integrated control of additional types of unmanned systems besides UGVs, such as UAVs, USVs, and UUVs operating across all domains of air, land, and sea. The purpose of this invention is to further expand MOCU to provide a suitable operator interface to a working animal, as for example an EOD Dog.